SHIELDS OF SHAME | GEORGIA FLOCK ABUSE DATABASE | CASE 007

Brandon Payne Sellers Flock Misuse: Milledgeville Police Major Fired and Criminally Charged

He wasn’t a rookie. Brandon Payne Sellers had risen to major and commanded criminal investigations at the Milledgeville Police Department. In August 2026, investigators concluded his assigned Flock Safety license-plate reader account had been used for purposes unrelated to law enforcement. The department fired him, and he was charged with a felony and a misdemeanor.

How the Flock investigation began

On August 10, Police Chief Dray Swicord informed Major Linc Boyer about possible misuse of the department’s Flock system. According to an incident report described by 41NBC, Boyer and Lieutenant Phillip Vinson reviewed activity from the account assigned to Sellers. Investigators concluded that the account had been used for non-work-related purposes. The publicly described booking record dates the charged conduct to June 20, 2026—approximately seven weeks before the internal inquiry.

Investigators obtained arrest warrants. The department terminated Sellers, and he surrendered at the Baldwin County Jail on August 11. He was booked shortly after 6:20 p.m. and released around 7:36 p.m. after posting a reported $10,000 cash bond. Authorities forwarded the case for prosecution. These are charges, not findings of guilt.

The charges: felony oath violation and misdemeanor plate-data misuse

The reported felony allegation concerns violation of the oath of office by a public officer. The misdemeanor allegation concerns illegally using or obtaining license-plate data captured by a law-enforcement agency for a purpose unrelated to law enforcement. Prosecutors must establish the elements of each offense. The public reporting does not identify the searched plates, vehicle owners, exact query count, personal motive or whether any information was shared outside the department.

Two criminal counts do not establish that exactly two searches occurred. Obtaining the warrants, incident report and Flock audit export is necessary to distinguish the number of alleged acts from the number of charges.

An experienced police commander, not a new user

According to the supplied Georgia POST case background, Sellers’s law-enforcement history extends to 1998, with employment at Milledgeville Police Department, Georgia Military College Police Department and Morgan County Sheriff’s Office. The historical POST profile reportedly lists advanced, executive, managerial, supervisory, instructor and radar-operator credentials, and more than 4,000 documented training hours. Those figures should be checked against the linked certification PDF, which is a dated snapshot rather than a statement of current standing.

His leadership role matters because the case raises questions about who reviews high-ranking users’ searches, how account privileges are granted, and whether audit systems receive independent oversight.

Timeline of the Brandon Sellers case

1. 1998 onward: Career history described in the supplied POST case notes begins.
2. June 20, 2026: Date of alleged conduct listed in the booking record.
3. August 10, 2026: Chief Swicord notifies Major Boyer of possible Flock misuse; Boyer and Lt. Vinson review the account.
4. August 11, 2026: Sellers surrenders, is booked, and is released after posting a $10,000 cash bond.
5. August 13, 2026: 41NBC publishes an updated report confirming termination and the department’s findings.

The audit-trail question

Flock Safety automated license-plate readers capture vehicle plate sightings with times and locations. Investigators can query this information to support legitimate cases, but the same searchable history can be misused if employees access it for personal reasons. In Sellers’s case, an internal review of his assigned account helped investigators trace the alleged misuse. The remaining question is whether anyone reviewed that account routinely before August 10, or whether the inquiry began only after a specific warning.

Chief Swicord said the department would not tolerate misuse of Flock technology and emphasized that access is limited to legitimate law-enforcement purposes. To assess those safeguards, the public needs the actual policy, permissions list, query logs and supervisory review schedule.

Read the original documents and images

Independent reporting and further reading

41NBC: Arrest, charges and internal inquiry ↗

Institute for Justice: ALPR abuse database ↗

Original Shields of Shame investigation ↗

Records to request next

• August 10 internal investigation and incident report from Major Boyer and Lt. Vinson
• June 20 Flock queries, timestamps, entered justifications and audit trail
• Account access permissions and supervisor audit records
• Arrest warrants, charging documents and subsequent court docket
• Termination paperwork and POST notifications
• Flock policy, training and audit schedule for command staff

Frequently asked questions

What was Brandon Payne Sellers charged with?

One felony count of violation of oath by a public officer and one misdemeanor count involving misuse of captured license-plate data.

Was Sellers fired?

Yes. Milledgeville Police Department confirmed his termination following its internal investigation.

How many Flock searches were involved?

The public reporting reviewed does not establish a precise number of queries.

Was Sellers convicted?

No final court disposition was verified in this review. Sellers is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

Editorial update: October 12, 2026. Criminal allegations are not convictions; later court or POST actions will be added when verified.